[Here's a message Nick didn't expect, from someone he didn't think would be texting him, about a topic he was hoping said someone might not get involved in. He worries just a little about you, Nate. It doesn't take a detective to figure out what lady he's talking about, given the day's events.]
[Nate probably should have expected questions; that he couldn't leave it vague. Nick is the resident gumshoe, after all, and he wouldn't be himself if he didn't pry.]
I, uh, I went to speak to Hope.
[Helpless to really assist people who had genuinely neededed it when everything was going down, he resorted to the next best thing even if it meant swallowing all his pride. It sticks in the craw even now, but it was necessary.]
[The incredulity - and barest hint of judgment - is enough to set Nate's jaw tightening, defensive. The last thing he needs is a reputation as someone who asks other people to take care of his problems for him; Nate has been handling himself since he was able to throw punches at the bigger kids who would take his books out on the orphanage playground. Regardless of the fact that he always ended up in suspension with a black eye and a fat lip, at least he'd had his goddamn say in the matter.
This is like...risk management, with a hired consultant.]
I'm not, [he half-grouses, aware of how it looks.] But I'm only human, and so are a lot of other people here.
[Comparably delicate in the grand scheme of resident entities.]
[Nick hears that slight shift in tone, and backs off his teasing for the second, partially because he'd rather not tick off the guy he owes his thanks to.]
You won't hear any complaints from me. There's only so much the people here can do against bona fide demons, even those of us who aren't human. Guess I never thought the gods would agree to help us keep someone in check like that.
[They've always struck him as willing to turn a blind eye to most suffering in general, seeing how the events they cause usually go. Hope keeps them fed and the monsters out, but there's a lot to be desired from the gods overall.]
Hey. [There's that hint of concern eking in.] He's not putting you through the wringer as payment for this, is he?
[Nate didn't think any of the gods would agree to it, either, which has him wondering whether this is going to bite him in the ass somewhere down the line. Like signing his soul off, Robert Johnson style.]
I...don't actually know, [he admits, hopelessly out of his depth.] He seemed to just accept it after I made the case that drawing on emotions is kind of hard if all of us are dead, but I have no idea if he's going to come back later for something else.
[The entire process has been a fairly regular study in Nate's traditional approach to problems, which usually just involves the execution and a lack of concern about any consequences that may befall him in particular.]
[Then again, Nate isn't some machine pretending to be a person. Maybe the gods were more willing to listen to him than they would to someone more akin to the Null. They certainly hadn't given Nick the time of day regarding a few of his choice concerns.
Still, Nick wants to be able to do something. He might be a machine, but it's in his nature.]
Look... if he does come back looking for payment down the road, give me a call. I'll see what I can do to help.
[Nate allows himself some nervous laughter, because as with many things, he has no idea how he accomplished what he did but isn't keen to over-analyze it.
Maybe he shouldn't be surprised by Nick's offer. The guy has made it abundantly clear that his mission in this place is to help people. Still, outside of a rare few, people don't often stick their neck out for him.]
[Perhaps unsurprisingly Nate chuckles at the joke, appreciative of the kind of retort that would make most people groan. If there is one thing in this godforsaken world he hopes never dies, it's bad puns.]
I left him an offering. Maybe it's enough.
[Nate rubs at his chin, though Nick cannot see it.]
He seemed to imply it would be effective immediately, but I don't know if he can snap his fingers from the comfort of his temple or has to grace us with his presence for it. Either way, I don't wanna be around her when she finds out she's basically human.
And she just happened to decide that trying to massacre the populace wasn't worth it?
[There is abject confusion, there, mixed with something not dissimilar to awe. Nate never pegged Nick for the overtly persuasive type, but the guy does have a simple and pragmatic - humanist - way about him.]
[Nate responds lightly, as if he should have known better than to ask - never mind the fact that the statement is hypocritical. For someone who probably wasn't built to have balls, Nick's sure are huge.]
So she sucked all her monsters back into the void and went home?
[Nate might sound suspiciously flippant about this, but it isn't by design. He knows very well that if she finds out who happened to be the impetus to her magical impotence, the likelihood of his evisceration is kind of inevitable.
Having nearly bled out before he's not exactly keen on experiencing the sensation again any time soon.]
...but, uh. If you could never let our local lady of demons know it was me, that'd be- great. Thanks.
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[text]
How do you figure that?
[text] -> [private audio]
I, uh, I went to speak to Hope.
[Helpless to really assist people who had genuinely neededed it when everything was going down, he resorted to the next best thing even if it meant swallowing all his pride. It sticks in the craw even now, but it was necessary.]
He agreed to make her less powerful.
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[There's a sound that's something akin to a pleased laugh on his side. Just one, and one that's definitely made in quiet, appreciative approval.]
You didn't strike me as the type to tattle on someone.
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This is like...risk management, with a hired consultant.]
I'm not, [he half-grouses, aware of how it looks.] But I'm only human, and so are a lot of other people here.
[Comparably delicate in the grand scheme of resident entities.]
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You won't hear any complaints from me. There's only so much the people here can do against bona fide demons, even those of us who aren't human. Guess I never thought the gods would agree to help us keep someone in check like that.
[They've always struck him as willing to turn a blind eye to most suffering in general, seeing how the events they cause usually go. Hope keeps them fed and the monsters out, but there's a lot to be desired from the gods overall.]
Hey. [There's that hint of concern eking in.] He's not putting you through the wringer as payment for this, is he?
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I...don't actually know, [he admits, hopelessly out of his depth.] He seemed to just accept it after I made the case that drawing on emotions is kind of hard if all of us are dead, but I have no idea if he's going to come back later for something else.
[The entire process has been a fairly regular study in Nate's traditional approach to problems, which usually just involves the execution and a lack of concern about any consequences that may befall him in particular.]
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[Then again, Nate isn't some machine pretending to be a person. Maybe the gods were more willing to listen to him than they would to someone more akin to the Null. They certainly hadn't given Nick the time of day regarding a few of his choice concerns.
Still, Nick wants to be able to do something. He might be a machine, but it's in his nature.]
Look... if he does come back looking for payment down the road, give me a call. I'll see what I can do to help.
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Maybe he shouldn't be surprised by Nick's offer. The guy has made it abundantly clear that his mission in this place is to help people. Still, outside of a rare few, people don't often stick their neck out for him.]
I- Thanks. Let's hope it doesn't come to that.
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[Nick, please.]
Did he say when he's doing this?
FINGER GUNS
I left him an offering. Maybe it's enough.
[Nate rubs at his chin, though Nick cannot see it.]
He seemed to imply it would be effective immediately, but I don't know if he can snap his fingers from the comfort of his temple or has to grace us with his presence for it. Either way, I don't wanna be around her when she finds out she's basically human.
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[The dangers of being the guy to talk down a demon.]
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[Jesus Christ, Nick has no room to criticize Nate for having a death wish.]
I thought some of the people down at the temple knocked her out.
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I thought they would have, but they must've gotten tied up with the goons she brought in, since I got to her first.
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So what, you just...strolled up and said "hey, can you cut that out"?
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[N i c k.]
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And she just happened to decide that trying to massacre the populace wasn't worth it?
[There is abject confusion, there, mixed with something not dissimilar to awe. Nate never pegged Nick for the overtly persuasive type, but the guy does have a simple and pragmatic - humanist - way about him.]
What did you tell her?
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That she was wasting her time, for one. That she wasn't the first person to try this. That Sharon da Silva left more of an impression.
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[Nate responds lightly, as if he should have known better than to ask - never mind the fact that the statement is hypocritical. For someone who probably wasn't built to have balls, Nick's sure are huge.]
So she sucked all her monsters back into the void and went home?
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She went home, but not before the Guard made short work of her crew. That might've had something to do with why she left.
[Like he tried telling her, she was wasting her time and energy.]
... Though if she'd known one of the gods was gonna rein in her powers, she might have done otherwise.
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[Nate might sound suspiciously flippant about this, but it isn't by design. He knows very well that if she finds out who happened to be the impetus to her magical impotence, the likelihood of his evisceration is kind of inevitable.
Having nearly bled out before he's not exactly keen on experiencing the sensation again any time soon.]
...but, uh. If you could never let our local lady of demons know it was me, that'd be- great. Thanks.